Protective book cover



Sept. 2, 1958, sjc. NIEDERMAN ETAL 2,850,295

- PROTECTIVE BOOK COVER Filed Sept. 27, 1954' INVENTOR$.-

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kROIECTIVE iii 80K COVER Sara C. Niederman and Helen Braten, Chicago,Ill.

Application September 27, 1954, Serial No. 458,496

2 Claims. (Cl. 28134) This invention relates to a protective book coverwhich preserves, as well as enhances the appearance of a booknotwithstanding the fact that such a book may be possessed of aninexpensive, fragile, and/or unattractive binding.

In recent years a large segment of the general public has had anopportunity to enjoy and acquire for their own personal use numerousliterary classics, textbooks, and the like because of the fact that suchworks have been published in inexpensive, usually paper bound, pocketsize editions. Such editions, however, are not particularly suited foruse in public and private libraries or for classroom work because oftheir fragile character and oftentimes unattractive appearance. Byreason of this fact, for example, a student has heretofore been normallycompelled to purchase a new or used edition of his or her classroom textwhich was possessed of a more durable and costly binding. A student,however, Was generally reluctant to purchase the new edition because ofthe cost involved and therefore purchased instead a used edition whichfrequently contained numerous marginal notations and underscoring on thevarious pages which not only made reading of such pages difiicult andfrustrating but also gave an untidy appearance.

Thus, it is one of the objects of this invention to provide an improvedcover for fragile and unattractively bound books which renders suchbooks suitable for library, classroom, and personal use.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved bookcover wherein the portion thereof overlying the bound edge of the bookmay be opened and thereby permit the reader to observe the title of thecovered book without requiring the book to be withdrawn from a shelf orstack.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a book coverwhich is attractive, yet durable in construction, and may be readilypositioned on or removed from a book, and is inexpensive to produce.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description,accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a removableprotective book cover is provided comprising side sections adapted tooverlie, accommodate, and conceal the front and back leaves of a book,and a center section integrally connected to said side sections andadapted to overlie and conceal the bound edge of such book. The centersection includes a hingedly connected flap portion which, when in anopen position, is adapted to uncover a portion of the bound edge of thebook, and, when in a closed position, is adapted to conceal and protectsaid bound edge. The flap portion, when in a closed position, has thefree end thereof adapted to be inserted between an adjacent portion ofthe cover and the portion of the book leaf overlaid thereby.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should bemade to the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved book atent O cover shownmounted on a book and having the flap portionformed on the centersection of the improved cover shown in an open position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged layout view of the exposed side of the improvedcover, shown in Fig. l, with the flap portion thereof in a closedposition;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the section of theimproved cover taken along line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are fragmentary layout views of the exposed sides ofthree modified forms of the improved cover.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 2, a form ofthe improved book cover 10 is shown which is formed of pliable opaqueprotective sheet material, preferably of some plastic composition. Thebook cover is provided with separate side sections 11 and 12 which areadapted to overlie and accommodate the front and back surfaces or leavesof a book 14. Disposed intermediate side sections 11 and i2 andpreferably integral with the edge of one of said sections is a centersection 13 which, in this instance, is foldably connected along foldline 13 to section 12. Center section 13 includes a flap portion 20 andtape sections 16a; the latter being disposed above and below 'the' flapportion and connecting the edge portions of side sections 11 and 12 ofthe cover. The flap portion 2%), when in a closed position, overlies andconceals the bound edge 15 of the book 14. The flap portion 20 mayeither be a separate piece which is secured to the inside surface of oneof the side sections, or, as illustrated, be formed integral with theedge of one of the side sections. Each of the side sections 11 and 12have the outer edges thereof, lla and respectively, turned back uponthemselves and secured along their upper and lower edges to theremainder of the side sections by binding tape 16 to form elongatedpockets 17. The pockets are adapted to accommodate the outer edgeportions of the leaves of the covered book and retain the cover inposition on the book. As seen in Fig. 4, the tape 16 is slit at point 13so as to permit the pocket 17 to extend substantially the full length ofthe side sections of the book cover.

Flap portion Zll, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, extends substantially thefull length of the cover between upper and lower binding tape sections16a; and, when in a closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, is adapted tohave the outer free edge 20:: thereof inserted between the elongatededge 21 of side section 11 and the book leaf overlaid thereby. The outeredge 2th; of the flap portion is reinforced by a strip 22 of bindingtape. A finger tab or tongue 23 is provided on flap portion 20 which,when the flap is in a closed position, is adapted to have the end 23athereof exposed so as to facilitate opening of the flap portion topermit observance of the bound edge 15 of the covered book.

Figs. 5, 6, and 7 disclose improved book covers having modified forms offlap portions 24, 25, and 26, respectively, wherein only selectedportions of the bound book edge are observable when the flap portion isopened. In Fig. 5, the flap portion 24 therein shown is substantiallycentrally disposed with respect to the center section 13a thereof and isadapted to extend for approximately onethird the length of said section.The flap portion 24 may be a separate piece which is secured along oneedge to the inside surface of the side section 11a or 120, or, as shownin Fig. 5, be integral with one of the side sections and have anextension 24a, secured to the free edge of the flap portion, which isadapted, when the flap portion is in a closed position, to be insertedbehind a portion 27 of the adjacent edge of side section 11.

3 In Fig. 6, the flap portion 25 is a separate piece which is hingedlysecured to the upper binding tape section 16a and extends downwardlytherefrom for approximately one-half the length-of center section 13b.The lower or free end 25a of flap portion 25 is pointed and the tip.

thereof is adapted to be inserted through a transverse slit 28 formed incenter section 13b when theflap portion 15' is in its closed position.The length of the flap portion 25 win depend upon the size of theopening 30 formed in the center section 13b.

In the cover shown in Fig. 7, the fiap portion 26thereof is ofsubstantially the same size, shape and construction as flap portion 24heretofore described but, in this instance, is disposed in the upperportion of "center section 130. The flap portion26, when in a closedposition, is adapted to have the extension or free. edge 26a thereofinserted behind a portion 31 of the adjacent edge of side section 110.Furthermore, in the cover shown in Fig. 7, a transparent plastic liner32 is provided which overlies the back surface of the cover and has thesides thereof terminating within the side pockets 17 formed in thecover. The liner may be stitched or adhesively secured to the coversections and is adapted to give added protection to the binding; ifdesired, the liner may be incorporated in any of the book coversheretofore described.

Thus, it will be seen that an improved book cover has been providedwhichis simple, attractive, and inexpensive in construction and is adapted toaiford lasting protection and beauty to a book notwithstanding the factthat the latter is possessed of a delicae and unattractive binding.

While several embodiments of this invention are shown above, it will beunderstood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto,since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore,by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall withinthe true spirit and scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. A removable protective cover for a bound book comprising rectilinearside sections to overlie the front and back leaves of such book,interconnecting central means maintaining said side sections in apredetermined spaced relationship, said interconnecting means overlyinga portion of the binding of said book whereby said side sections andsaid interconnecting means define a central opening to overlie theremaining portion of the binding, a cooperating pocket panel overlyingthe free portion of each of said side sections and secured thereto alongthe free edges of said side sections to formpockets to receive therespective back and front leaves, and a panel portion hinged to saidcover along a portion of the periphery of said opening and extendingbeyond an opposed portion of the periphery of said opening whereby saidpanel portion overlies said opening and is insertable into said centralopening to overlie a side section and is thereby disposed between saidcover and said book. 7

2. The protective book .cover recited in .claim 1 wherein the panelportion isprovided with a finger tab secured to the outer surfacethereof, said finger tab being partially exposed adjacent said openingwhen said panel portionis in its inserted relationship to facilitatemanipulation of said panel portion between an open and the insertedrelationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 69,062Osborn Sept. 24, 1867 752,537 Eneas Feb. 16, 1904 1,109,846 Knap Sept.8, 1914 1,528,087 Sheridan et a1 Mar. 3, 1925 1,784,736 Lear Dec. 9,1930' 2,180,808' Iacobstein et al. Nov. 21,1939 2,596,131 Darby et alMay 13, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 953,430 France May 23, 1949

